Top 12 Most Memorable Encounters

Coming off a spectacularly lucky (photographically) year, 2017 was a no good, awful, downright miserable stretch of bad luck. Though we spent more time in the field than ever, we captured content only about 10% of the time we set out to look for wildlife. Yet for all the bad luck, we had some incredible moments – and, based on our last two forays into the Rockies, our luck also seems to be changing. Here’s hoping 2018 is the best year yet.

The (Private) Elk Rut

The Jasper elk rut is world renowned and this year was only our second chance to document its stories. Of course, we were far from alone in our hope to watch these majestic animals go about their mating rituals and were dismayed by how many many photographers, in our opinion, crossed the line and got too close – often disturbing the elk and changing their behaviour. Luckily, in our desire to get far away from the crowds, we made the decision to wait by a river that we knew was frequented by big bulls. With no one around – and knowing we were missing good photos elsewhere – we hoped patience and quiet would reward us. It did. Three big bulls crossed the river safely downstream from where we were sitting and eventually bugled and chased one another on a nearby island, creating one of the best private elk rut shows we’ll likely ever receive.